


The Morning After

by withaflashoflove



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 18:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9084862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withaflashoflove/pseuds/withaflashoflove
Summary: Self-explanatory title...





	1. Chapter 1

For once, he doesn’t run.

For once, he doesn’t have the urge to zoom off, leaving behind people in his past.

For once, he doesn’t want to move…only wants to relish in the warmth of the here and now.

For once, he doesn’t want to save anyone but himself.

For once, all he wants to do is stay in bed.

For once, he just wants to breathe.

Wants to feel safe. Wants to stay.

Stay like this.

With his arms wrapped around her.

With her hand holding his, both resting on her heart.

With her breath steady.

With her smell, lingering in the air.

With her warmth.

With her body.

With all of her.

For once, he wants to kiss her simply because he can.

For once, he just wants to hold her…to lay with her…to stay with her.

He stares at her, lips coming to graze her cheek.

She slowly wakes up, sighing into the pillow, before turning in his arms, her chest coming into contact with his.

He holds her tighter, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

She hums into him, body relaxing at his touch.

He lightly traces patterns on her back, absentmindedly moving his hands with the flow of her skin.

He feels her smile.

“Did that really happen?” he whispers against her hair.

She sighs contently and says nothing to break the silence. Only brings her hands to rest on his arms. Only moves her head so her eyes level with his. Only brings her lips to his, humming a sweet song against them.

After mere seconds, her head drops again, to rest on his chest, right below his chin. She pulls closer into him, closing any space between them.

He doesn’t bother saying anything else.

Instead, he wills himself back to sleep, breathing her in.

For once, he doesn’t _want_ to run.

And why would he need to?

Everything he ever ran towards was laying in bed next to him, welcoming him home.


	2. Chapter 2

She wakes up to an empty bed, looking around to take in the familiar sights of his room.

She swears he was just there next to her and the warm spot to her right confirms her theory, but she can’t find him anywhere. The sun’s intense rays strike her skin through the open window, and Iris can’t help but feel completely vulnerable and self-conscious, bringing the blanket to wrap tightly around her, her hands crossing over to rest on opposite arms.

Panic sets and she thinks maybe she dreamed the entire thing…maybe Barry isn’t with her and maybe she’s _still_ dreaming and maybe she was just fooling herself, thinking they were brave enough to take the step, and maybe she should grab her clothes and lea-

Her train of thought is interrupted when she hears a small cough, and she turns her head to the doorway, seeing _her best friend_ standing under its arc, smiling lovingly back at her. She feels her own lips curve upwards and her body gravitates towards his the moment he starts walking over to her.

“Morning,” he says shyly, coming to sit on the edge of her side of the bed.

“Hey Bear,” she replies, taking in his body, naked chest and all, with boxers hanging low on his hips and brown hair ruffled adorably.

“Uhm,” he stammers before laughing away the tension, “I had to take a call…didn’t want to wake you up.” 

“I think your absence took care of that.” 

“Sorry,” he answers sheepishly, giving her his best smile.

She can’t help the small laugh that leaves her throat and all of a sudden, warmth spreads through her entire body, starting from her core and radiating outward to every nerve inside her.

_He’s here._

_He’s really here._

Iris doesn’t wait any longer, can’t fathom him leaving again - for a call or anything else - so she pulls him into her, hands coming to wrap around the nape of his neck, blanket quickly falling, exposing her own naked chest.

She feels his breathing quicken, but just before their lips connect, he pulls back, steadying her upright with both hands.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” she asks, confusion and worry in her voice.

“No nothing’s wrong,” he calms her, his hands running up and down her arms, his eyes dipping to her chest, then to her lips, before coming back to rest on hers, “I just…I can’t believe you’re here, that’s all.”

“Barry…” she whispers, holding onto to him tightly. They hadn’t talked much about things since he came back, and last night kind of just _happened_ , neither expecting things to move so quickly, neither expecting the events and emotion of their reunion to lead them here, but Iris didn’t regret a single moment, and seeing him so worried and bashful made her feel a fierce amount of fondness for him, “I want to be here.”

“Yeah?” he asks hesitantly, face lighting up with that boyish smile that she’s so in love with. 

“Yeah,” she nods her head, pulling him back down onto the bed, both coming to lay down, his body covering hers, “there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be.”

“Okay that’s good,” he replies, caressing her cheek with his free hand, “because there’s nowhere else in the world that I want you to be…than here of course…you know, with me.”

The unintentional rhyme makes her giggle and she lifts her head up to close the distance between them, humming a sweet tune into his lips.

“Thanks for coming home,” she breathes, slowly pulling away.

“Thanks for waiting for me,” he answers, still looking at her like no one else existed in the universe, a twinkle shining in his eyes, “thank you for being home, Iris.”

She can’t help but lean back up to kiss him, deciding words were too hard and took too much effort and kissing was _easy_ and being with him was _easy_ and holding him close was _easy_ and all of this was just so natural…was just so beautiful…just felt so right.


End file.
